PCGamer Editorial: E3 doesn't care about the PC (PS2 mention)

[psimonk]

http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/06/29/editorial-e3-doesnt-care-about-the-pc/

This is a great editorial about how PC gaming is treated in general as well as at E3, and I totally agree that while PS2 got some recognition, it wasn't nearly what it deserved, especially when reported by biased console media (most of the rewards were from PC-centric journalists). I'm glad somebody is saying this! :D

[DarkChiron]

A few guys I watch that went to E3 didn't even mention PS2. One off the top of my end is Angry Joe, who is a sucker for FPS games but apparently missed the most awarded/nominated game of E3, somehow.

[Policenaut]

No one I know, including myself, has taken E3 seriously for at least 2-3 years. It's like you said, their focus on the console peasants market, which is stagnating at best, is depressing.

[NePaS]

Very good read and so bloody true!

[maradine]

It's not that E3 doesn't care about the PC. It's that the PC doesn't pay E3's bills. When you're trying to fill 130,000 sq.ft. with revenue, you defer quite a bit to the guys writing the checks. Good, bad, or indifferent, that's showbiz.

[Xaine]

It's not that E3 doesn't care about the PC. It's that the PC doesn't pay E3's bills. When you're trying to fill 130,000 sq.ft. with revenue, you defer quite a bit to the guys writing the checks. Good, bad, or indifferent, that's showbiz.

Sad, but true.

Well said.

[Solidblock]

It'll always go to the highest bidder.

[Arovien]

I blame Sony, they should of mentioned PlanetSide 2 during their conference. The game would of spoken for itself for the most part. SOE has a great game on their hands that could bring Sony back to stardom in the PC gaming world.

Nevertheless, I am confident PlanetSide 2 will bring back the spotlight to PC gaming. The current gen of consoles are dated and boy is it showing!

[ziegler]

It's not that E3 doesn't care about the PC. It's that the PC doesn't pay E3's bills. When you're trying to fill 130,000 sq.ft. with revenue, you defer quite a bit to the guys writing the checks. Good, bad, or indifferent, that's showbiz.

Maybe they shouldnt have kicked the general public/gamers out of the show then.

[Sephirex]

I blame Sony, they should of mentioned PlanetSide 2 during their conference.

It's a console show with a console audience and Sony knew what they had to do. Microsoft wasn't showing off their new Windows or phones. Showing off anything not related to their consoles anything else would have been seen as stalling or an admission of guilt that they didn't have a lot planned for Playstation or Vita.

That's why E3 has become a terrible show, it's trapped in its own cycle. :mad:

[maradine]

E3's never been a public show - they just changed the format from "anyone who can document a current and direct professional relationship to the games industry and its press" to an invite-only, limited ticket format. That their credential checking was amazingly lax is another issue altogether. Hell, I pulled creds in 2006 working for PayPal.

[qbert2]

I only paid attention to E3 this year because of one thing: Planetside 2. If they weren't doing such a large presence there with the live streaming I wouldn't have cared about E3.

Lately I tend to look out more for cool stuff during PAX and gamescom.

[ChipMHazard]

I blame Sony, they should of mentioned PlanetSide 2 during their conference. The game would of spoken for itself for the most part. SOE has a great game on their hands that could bring Sony back to stardom in the PC gaming world.

Nevertheless, I am confident PlanetSide 2 will bring back the spotlight to PC gaming. The current gen of consoles are dated and boy is it showing!

Sounds about right. Sony is more interested in promoting PS3 titles than it's own PC titles.

One can hope so, I reall do hope that games like PS2, and other great future titles, will help revitalize the PC as a viable Platform.

[Arovien]

It's a console show with a console audience and Sony knew what they had to do. Microsoft wasn't showing off their new Windows or phones. Showing off anything not related to their consoles anything else would have been seen as stalling or an admission of guilt that they didn't have a lot planned for Playstation or Vita.

That's why E3 has become a terrible show, it's trapped in its own cycle. :mad:
Sony compared to Microsoft and Nintendo is failing yet they stick to the same plan. Insanity at its finest.
Microsoft didn't show off their new windows or phones because they are sticking to their guns that never fail them.

Sony has to differentiate themselves thru SOE and PlanetSide 2. In the end of the day, PlanetSide 2 will win it big for Sony without having conference time. Why? Because it goes to show you how grand of a game PlanetSide 2 is.

[Warborn]

Yeah, this is 100% financially driven. It's why many games are made for consoles and if you're lucky ported to PC. Even stuff that you'd figure would be a no-brainer for PC (the upcoming X-Com sequel -- not the FPS one, the turn-based squad one) is a console title first and a PC port second.

[Crator]

Sony has to differentiate themselves thru SOE and PlanetSide 2. In the end of the day, PlanetSide 2 will win it big for Sony without having conference time. Why? Because it goes to show you how grand of a game PlanetSide 2 is.

Exactly! AAA title with Free-to-Play model in mind from the beginning. That's the hope at least...

[Sifer2]

Yeah the saddest thing was to me that most places that actually did mention Planetside 2 were only really praising the fact that it was Free 2 Play. Hawken got nearly the same amount of praise, and attention for that same reason lol. Never mind the unprecedented level of scale, and true next generation technology that Planetside 2 is showing off here. The only impressive thing is that its Free, and not completely crap.

[GuyFawkes]

While I agree with the general thrust of the topic , I point out that pc gaming is a victim of its own drive for success.

What I mean is, purely from a consumer point of view you have a choice. Your teenage child want to play computer games. Do you spend £200 and they are sorted for the next 4-5 yrs. Or option B spend £1000+, and within a year most of the components are outdated with a new type of chipset, which renders your motherboard defunct, oh! and the ram is different. The new graphics cards dont fit into your mobo either, needs a bigger power supply and the operating system no longer is supported .

Of course the console wins, but the catch is the games are completed in a weekend and there's a constant push to buy the next. Hence the money thrown behind it and the effect we see at e3.

[Notser]

yep, as stated in previous posts there is a very sick situation right now with websites and publications getting paid off by primarily console developers. If you ever see a ad on television for a game and it has the 360 logo or ps3 at the end then that was paid by sony/microsoft. Funny enough the games that are setting the trends are on PC and generally f2p at the moment. Lets continue that with PS2! :D

[ThermalReaper]

If someone could allow you to play pc with a mouse and keyboard, and be able to sit from a slight distance from the Monitor/TV and on a sofa, I'm in.

[Crator]

If someone could allow you to play pc with a mouse and keyboard, and be able to sit from a slight distance from the Monitor/TV and on a sofa, I'm in.

I do this at my house already. I just hook up my PC from digital output on to digital input on my 60 inch TV and viola'!

[ThermalReaper]

I do this at my house already. I just hook up my PC from digital output on to digital input on my 60 inch TV and viola'!

Tried it, couldn't get the TV to display anything because it wasn't the right resolution and I couldn't bother retrying it again. How would you get around the sofa issue?

[InternetZombie]

Another thing you guys have to realize is that investers dont see anything other than numbers.

You go off and say the biggest thing you've got in the works is a F2P title and your going to turn a ton of investers away because they associate F2P with low numbers and thus a poor investment choice.

[Crator]

Tried it, couldn't get the TV to display anything because it wasn't the right resolution and I couldn't bother retrying it again. How would you get around the sofa issue?

Well, we have a gaming chair we just put in front of the TV when we are using it. But wireless keyboard/mouse or USB extenders would allow me to sit on couch if I wanted.

[SurgeonX]

While I agree with the general thrust of the topic , I point out that pc gaming is a victim of its own drive for success.

What I mean is, purely from a consumer point of view you have a choice. Your teenage child want to play computer games. Do you spend £200 and they are sorted for the next 4-5 yrs. Or option B spend £1000+, and within a year most of the components are outdated with a new type of chipset, which renders your motherboard defunct, oh! and the ram is different. The new graphics cards dont fit into your mobo either, needs a bigger power supply and the operating system no longer is supported .

Of course the console wins, but the catch is the games are completed in a weekend and there's a constant push to buy the next. Hence the money thrown behind it and the effect we see at e3.

Except that really isn't the case nowadays.
That was true maybe 4 or 5 years ago, but the relentless upgrade march is now a hell of a lot slower.
This perception definitely hurts PC gaming, and it is in all our interests to help smash it.

A case in point:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/df-hardware-introducing-the-digital-foundry-pc

[OutlawDr]

Yeah, building your own PC is hell of a lot cheaper and easier.

The worst offender I noticed had to be Gamespot. In their E3 readers choice awards, you didn't even have the choice of any of the PC exclusives. They had one good interview of Planetside 2, but NONE of their editors gave it a nod when it was award time. They seriously need to hire on some PC gamers on their staff. In their top 10 coming soon PC games, PS2 is no where to be seen. Thats how clueless their readership is about the game. ConsoleSpot...though the same is about IGN...ughh

[lawnmower]

Except that really isn't the case nowadays.
That was true maybe 4 or 5 years ago, but the relentless upgrade march is now a hell of a lot slower.
This perception definitely hurts PC gaming, and it is in all our interests to help smash it.

A case in point:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/df-hardware-introducing-the-digital-foundry-pc
i think hes way off for 4 or 5 years ago too, and its never close to 1000£+

[WorldOfForms]

I recently worked at a major gaming site for 5 years, and the site covered all platforms. The staff was all super enthusiastic about gaming, and yet only me and two other guys gave a crap about PC gaming at all. We were the odd ones out.

We're talking about gamers so hardcore that their entire lives revolve around gaming, both at work and at home, and they wouldn't touch PC gaming with a ten foot pole.

It's the huge gap of convenience. People want to stick a disc in a slot and know that the game will work. They don't want all the headache that PC gaming gives. We all are so used to it we may not even realize how annoying it is, but hell with PC games you can buy a AAA title and have the damn thing not even run on your rig until you dig around on the internet for some bizarre hack that some user figured out.

Being a PC gamer is like being a mechanic. Most people just want to drive their cars and never have to fix them.

[Dougnifico]

As someone who used to be a hard core console game until about a year and a half ago, PC gaming needs a LOT more attention. I've switched over and now I never want to go back. Besides, all these critics are going on and on about a bunch of games that are on stagnant, dead platforms. There is a PC gaming renascence because consoles are far past their expiration date. There is nothing more to advance and the hardware can't keep up. Its to the point that consoles are competing with on-board graphics. That's just sad.

[Hamma]

This was an excellent article by Evan a great read. I agree with him 100% and have for years. It's really sad that PC gets shunned constantly even though there have been some amazing products.

Money talks.

[PvtHazard]

I fully agree with this article. E3 seems to put PC games on the back burner,and go full force when covering console or multi-platform games.

[Otleaz]

The gaming industry as a whole just feels like an unprofessional money grab. At least other industries try and put up a facade that they are professional.

[Anderz]

The irony of all this is that many of the demonstration builds of the big E3 games were running on PCs

[Greeniegriz]

The irony of all this is that many of the demonstration builds of the big E3 games were running on PCs

So true. Anyone know which console games were actually demo'd on a console? Excluding wii games of course...

Cheers,

GG


Sent from Auraxis using Tapatalk HD

[MrSmegz]

I would be willing to bet that PlanetSide 2 will be on the Playstation 4. Its already stated to have a HD7000 series GPU and a Piledriver or Trinity CPU, more than enough specs to run PS2 if they give it enough RAM. Either there would be special DualSticks servers for consoles or, include keyboard and mouse gaming support. With so many other input methods like PSmove, joysticks, steering wheels, and the all the Rock band stuff; its ridiculous that have not added KB/mouse for desktop play.

[Pella]

Sadly E3 is just a massive money sink and a Gamble for games company's. Its fair to say PS2 did well at E3 though. But i bet SOE paid tens of thousands just to obtain that spot on the floor. The suckers even charge you for furniture such as chairs and bins you rent.

[Hmr85]

It was a good read. I felt the article was spot on and PC games definitely do not get the recognition that they deserve.

[Whip Nailed it]

pc master race reporting in

this game will bring alot of recognition back to pc gaming simply from word of mouth

[PoisonTaco]

PC games don't need E3 to be popular. Blizzard and Valve don't really go and they're massive juggernauts in the industry. Plus as PC gamers we've got plenty of events year 'round to get excited about. Gamescom in Germany is usually a good showing for PC games (usually when Creative Assembly and Relic announce/showcase their new games) and PAX Prime is where we get to see a lot of indie games as well as MMO's.

A shame there isn't really a big PC presence at E3. I mean what if there was a collaboration among the top PC devs/publishers. A conference where you have Valve talking about upcoming improvements to Steam, Blizzard giving us an update on their games.

But then again everyone loves Blizzard and Valve and I'm sure if they did that all three console makers would lose money.

[Otleaz]

But then again everyone loves Blizzard

Please excuse me while I clear enough room to roll around while I laugh.

[LZachariah]

Very well-written article; good argument, excellent examples cited. Nicely done.

~Zachariah

[PoisonTaco]

Please excuse me while I clear enough room to roll around while I laugh.

Well I don't play WoW or Diablo, so this is coming from someone who's played Starcraft for 10-12 years.

[Astrok]

i wish they already launcht their market campaign for planetside 2 on television.

a big ass video would be enough to get this game running at light speed

But still alot of people play consoles these days because to buy a descent pc u pay alot of money wich most of us dont want to pay /can't efford to pay it (got a good pc to play this but not on ultra settings and i dont care about the ultra settings neither for me gameplay above graphics and it will be always that way for me)so the only real option u have is buying a cheapconsole that last for a few years without any upgrades.Ofcourse the graphics are lower then on a advanced pc.But for me (and miliion others) the graphics are fine on a console if u look at the Price for a descent pc.
Thats why consoles are so popular on things like e3.

So planetside 2 maybe coming to the ps4 platform? Would be cool.

[Whip Nailed it]

i'd love to see ps2 come cross platform when the new consoles are out


think of the gamepad kids we could destroy

[Sabot]

Console controller in a twitchy shooter... the horror, the horror.

But this isn't really surprising. Sad, but not surprising. It's just capitalism at work :)

[OnexBigxHebrew]

There are two things to blame for the decline in PC focus:

1)Lack of a streamlined product. The PC market is honestly not a cost or time effective one. The high-end PC I use to game took too much research and is honestly not cost-effective enough for a normal person. Just because I decided to pay out the ass (and yes, wether building your own PC or buying a kit/pre-make you DO pay out the ass to some degree to remain relevant for years) doesn't mean its right for everyone. There's just too much going on to ask a normal person to put that much time and energy into fine-tuning a gaming rig. Also, its much tougher for a jobless 13 year old to convince a parent to buy a $600+ gaming machine they know nothing about. Not everyone is like us in the forums, a 20-30 year old enthusiest willing to blow our own money on fun-time and scour internet hardware reviews.

2) So called PC "enthusiasts" pirating every game they can rationalize playing without paying for. "Oh, I don't like that company, they won't get my money" or "I wouldn't have bought it had I not been able to steal it anyway" and other excuses are VERY popular among PC players, myself included. PC gamers would need to stop stealing, and it just won't happen. Consoles use their online component to leverage people into buying copies. This leads to a much more successful market as well as a much more stable one.

Call them peasants, or whatever, but an elitist attitude won't change the fact that for a normal person, a console makes sense - therefore it makes sense for them to be the focus of E3. I prefer my PC when I can, but that doesn't make my choice the best one for everyone. Just being objective. The again maybe I'm biased because I have a business degree :P

[Otleaz]

2) So called PC "enthusiasts" pirating every game they can rationalize playing without paying for. "Oh, I don't like that company, they won't get my money" or "I wouldn't have bought it had I not been able to steal it anyway" and other excuses are VERY popular among PC players, myself included. PC gamers would need to stop stealing, and it just won't happen. Consoles use their online component to leverage people into buying copies. This leads to a much more successful market as well as a much more stable one.

I'm pretty sure there isn't a single multiplatform game out there that lost more money to piracy than it did to used game sales and rental. That is even considering that every single one of the pirated copies would have been bought otherwise.

[OnexBigxHebrew]

I'm pretty sure there isn't a single multiplatform game out there that lost more money to piracy than it did to used game sales and rental. That is even considering that every single one of the pirated copies would have been bought otherwise.

All used copies, by nature, were initially bought. Millions of pirated copies will spawn from one basement hacker's rip. Also, DLC has solved the problem of devs not making money from used copies, along with the occasional online pass or season pass/premium content. Also, just about every time someone doesn't develop for PC, they cite a small/niche-driven market or piracy. I don't mind being in the minority when I'm playing on PC, so I don't feel the need to bomb on people or the industry for doing what's profitable or casually convenient. Basically, console gaming doesn't make me feel insecure. Sorry.

[Sabot]

There are so many aspects of the whole piracy thing... Some genuinelly believe it should be free, some just don't give a crap, and some might just not have the money to pay. I'm not saying it makes it alright, but I believe it has come naturally... as a response to publishers' continued ignorance and the way they treat not only consumers, but developers as well. So the whole "oh, I don't like that company..."-line, is to some degree warranted. And what's poisoning the market (in my opinion, and I don't pretend I know about the market, but I do know about people), are peoples inability to compromise. One end pushes as a result of mistreatment, so the other end pushes back, and the whole thing escalades until it all implodes... unless both parties start to, you know... work together.

What SOE is doing with PS2 is good example of that I think. Instead of, for example, doing what EA is doing with BF3 right now (with the whole premium thing and the hordes of "expansions" planned), they present a great game, gives it their full support (I hope ;P) and invites everybody to try it and play it for as much as they want, with no restrictions. And then tells you, "buy some cool shit if you want to, so we can continue to add to the game and make it better for years to come".

It is, to say the least, a step in the right direction... instead of trying to keep people out of the game, they welcome them in. Granted it is in the best interest of the game, to make it work. But it's still the way to go if you want to please consumers and "make them like you", so to speak.

[OnexBigxHebrew]

There are so many aspects of the whole piracy thing... Some genuinelly believe it should be free, some just don't give a crap, and some might just not have the money to pay. I'm not saying it makes it alright, but I believe it has come naturally... as a response to publishers' continued ignorance and the way they treat not only consumers, but developers as well. So the whole "oh, I don't like that company..."-line, is to some degree warranted. And what's poisoning the market (in my opinion, and I don't pretend I know about the market, but I do know about people), are peoples inability to compromise. One end pushes as a result of mistreatment, so the other end pushes back, and the whole thing escalades until it all implodes... unless both parties start to, you know... work together.

What SOE is doing with PS2 is good example of that I think. Instead of, for example, doing what EA is doing with BF3 right now (with the whole premium thing and the hordes of "expansions" planned), they present a great game, gives it their full support (I hope ;P) and invites everybody to try it and play it for as much as they want, with no restrictions. And then tells you, "buy some cool shit if you want to, so we can continue to add to the game and make it better for years to come".

It is, to say the least, a step in the right direction... instead of trying to keep people out of the game, they welcome them in. Granted it is in the best interest of the game, to make it work. But it's still the way to go if you want to please consumers and "make them like you", so to speak.

I'm in full support of PS2 being f2P, and I think its the answer to PC gaming's survival. Well said :D

[Firearms]

OnLive being successful could help things out.... Putting PC games in the hands of console monkeys for £100.....

[Astrok]

Console controller in a twitchy shooter... the horror, the horror.

But this isn't really surprising. Sad, but not surprising. It's just capitalism at work :)

controllers aint so bad in fps as long u play against other controllers :) i got to get used to it to. but for me mouse or controllers makes no differents anymore.

Besides console games have the option to use mouse and keyboard more and more.For example the mmo fps Exclusive for ps3 called dust 514(Connected to eve online) is one of those games that gives u the option to play with keys and mouse.My first console game that did it was unreal tournament 3.

even consoles have usb ports so it aint hard to use em for mouse and keys.

[Sabot]

controllers aint so bad in fps as long u play against other controllers :) i got to get used to it to. but for me mouse or controllers makes no differents anymore.

Besides console games have the option to use mouse and keyboard more and more.For example the mmo fps Exclusive for ps3 called dust 514(Connected to eve online) is one of those games that gives u the option to play with keys and mouse.My first console game that did it was unreal tournament 3.

even consoles have usb ports so it aint hard to use em for mouse and keys.

Haha this is one of those things I find so amusing about consoles.
When the computer started to make it into every hoome as a PC, they weren't used for gaming as much as they are now, naturally, but they were more of a work station with "entertainment possibilites".
Enter the console. A box made for games... nothing but games. Connected to two controllers with like 8 buttons and a TV.

Then the PC started to evolve... with more and more games. Windows made one man one of the riches people ever. The internet etc. etc. Consoles couldn't do this. The had to develop a whole new console with upgraded parts. And for a long time the PC was the ultimate platform for anything computer related.

Then the Xbox and Playstation comes along. Gaming platforms with the apperance of a console, but essentially they were severely stripped down PCs. So the years pass, new "consoles" are developed, until today... now the "consoles" have internet access, web browsing, you can connect a mouse and a keyboard or a joystick, it has VOIP and you can watch movies and store stuff on a hard drive.... HANG ON A SECOND! Didn't we come up with a machine like... 20 years ago that already did all these things, and indeed do them better than your console do them today? Yeah, it's called a PC.

I think it's hilarious... and not a little fucked up, pardon the french, that the companies can get away with shit like this.

[DarkChiron]

All used copies, by nature, were initially bought. Millions of pirated copies will spawn from one basement hacker's rip. Also, DLC has solved the problem of devs not making money from used copies, along with the occasional online pass or season pass/premium content. Also, just about every time someone doesn't develop for PC, they cite a small/niche-driven market or piracy. I don't mind being in the minority when I'm playing on PC, so I don't feel the need to bomb on people or the industry for doing what's profitable or casually convenient. Basically, console gaming doesn't make me feel insecure. Sorry.

I've been noticing this. The company's war on used games is getting to the same level their war on pirated games are. Some PC games getting "You can only install this 3 times" stuff was a method to fight both. Of course, it's a pain in the ass and doesn't really solve any problems. In the end it just pisses off people who actually paid for it.

[TerranRoughneck]

Loved the article and have to agree with a lot of what's been said. Only thing I would point out is that there *IS* an exclusive PC and Indie games show, it's called Rezzed and is going on in about a week. I'm pretty stoked because we'll be getting a teaser for the next Totalwar game!!

I'm not sure how long it's been going on but somehow I only heard about it a few months ago. We get hype for E3, PAX, and Gamescon months ahead of time but no one(that I'm following anyway) has said a word about it. Which seems odd considering there will be some pretty big games there like: Borderlands 2, Aliens Colonial Marines, Farcry 3, Dayz, and End of Nations as well as developer sit downs with Creative Assembly and others.

In fact the only game I'm surprised won't be there is PS2 but the full list of games isn't out yet so maybe, but I sort of doubt such a big title would be omitted until the last minute.

So if you didn't know about it, check it out and try to support it as best you can! Let's get the PC out of E3 entirely and just have our own conference!

http://www.rezzed.com/#

[OnexBigxHebrew]

I've been noticing this. The company's war on used games is getting to the same level their war on pirated games are. Some PC games getting "You can only install this 3 times" stuff was a method to fight both. Of course, it's a pain in the ass and doesn't really solve any problems. In the end it just pisses off people who actually paid for it.

I agree (on some level, at least :P) but I do support the Gears of War 3 "Season Pass" (not to be confused with online passes) where you can purchase a pass to all DLC for a period of time that amounts to a discount. In exchange, the company is basically getting your guarantee that you'll buy all of them. If not, you still have the option to buy al a carte, but ts a great deal when its a game you know you won't be leaving.

All-in-all, until all gaming is streamed from servers, piracy won't stop. Not saying I want it to happen, because I'm comfortable with where PC gaming is at, but it's the truth none the less.

And until PC gaming has a flagship machine/service, consoles will continue to hold the greater market share. The key is to understand this, and not be insecure about people going their own way, because if there's one thing PC gaming hasn't provided, its accessibility. The marketing isn't there to compete with a consolidated and well marketed product like a 360, regardless of our specific taste.

[The Desert Fox]

I work at Best Buy( I'm awesome, I know) and I sell Computers and Games, and out of the 5 Gaming employees I am the only real PC gamer of the bunch and sadly most of the people we sell too are as well.

[Karrade]

There are plenty of games being made and sold for the PC, just like there always has been. More developers now than there ever has been. - Sure a lot of the hyped up, spoon fed, herd mentality games are made for the masses as you'd expect, but in all my years gaming, i've never had so much choice as now for the PC.

And no I don't buy from the highstreet.

[Luieburger]

It was painful to watch those press releases for Sony, MS, and Nintendo. They had nothing special to offer at all.

Here: E3 2012 - Console Gaming is Almost Dead to Me - YouTube

The console gaming peasants are coming around. They're starting to understand.